How I Got $140 Worth of Birthday Freebies

Spending time with family and friends during my birthday is cool, but what really excites me is knowing that I’ll have the whole month to redeem random birthday freebies. Of course, I ignore the whole getting 1-year-older part, but free food and beauty stuff? I’m all over it.

This is my “birthday game,” and I love to redeem as many freebies as possible. Some businesses have pulled back on their generosity, which is understandable in today’s economy. I also wasn’t as proactive this year, missing out on some gifts, but I still snagged $140 worth of freebies in semi-lazy mode living in Southern California. 

Here’s everything I got for free (or close enough). Hopefully, this inspires you to get some freebies for yourself!

1. Starbucks Venti Drink – Valued at $7.20 + tax

Let’s start strong with a company that’s accessible almost everywhere—yup, good ol’ Starbucks. My typical birthday order is a Venti-sized Iced Matcha Latte with extra scoops of matcha powder (5 total), oat milk, and chocolate cream cold foam. The massive size of this drink lets me split it across two days to break up the caffeine, so it’s like getting two free drinks!

The value of this drink is $7.20, not including the tax, so I always wait for my birthday to redeem it. I usually don’t purchase drinks from Starbucks unless they are super seasonal, so claiming this Venti once a year is extra special for me!

2. Pork Katsu Bento Box & a Drink – Valued at $23.45 + tax

Almost every restaurant or drink place I visit has a loyalty program, and I sign up for it (even if I don’t know if I’ll go again). It’s free to sign up anyway, and if their birthday gifts turn out awesome, then even better! Pictured are my local spots, Ginkgo Katsu and KRAK Boba. 

The shareable bento box is a regular favorite in our household, and for birthdays, it comes with a generous $15.75 discount on the order. That discount covered almost the whole cost of the meal, and I only had to chip in about $3, which was a steal! See if your local casual restaurants have a loyalty program to join to save money on food since prices are rising everywhere. 

With KRAK Boba, I could get a free drink up to $8 with one topping, so naturally, I had to pick the drink size that brought me closest to that amount. I enjoyed a large Sunset Passion, a slushy drink made with mango and chamoy and topped with crystal boba. Yum! Check your local drink spot, and if they have an app, they will most likely have a decent birthday gift to redeem.

3. Ike’s Sandwich – Valued at $16

Ike’s Love & Sandwiches is located in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and Colorado and specializes in hundreds of sandwiches. It’s known for its Dutch Crunch Bread, “dirty sauce,” and fun names for each sandwich. Each location has “exclusive” offerings, so I got the “Stand by Me,” a wild salmon burger, wasabi honey mustard, and provolone combination. 

I liked that the staff took the time to write “Happy Birthday” to me on the wrapper and the to-go bag! My coupon stated that any sandwich up to $15 is free, but my total was over $16, so I’ll go with the higher value.

4. The Habit Charburger – Valued at $6.99 + tax

There are 377 The Habit Burger Grill locations in the United States, so join their loyalty program if you have one near you! 

Their free Charburger with Cheese is a freebie I always redeem during my birthday month (valued at $6.99 before tax!) Since I’m lactose intolerant and generally prefer cheese-less burgers, I give my freebie to my husband, and I order the normal Charburger, which is cheaper. He also has The Habit app, and when he checked during our visit, there happened to be a BOGO-free deal on their new Tempura Avocado Wedges, so why not?

The Habit gives you a 2-week window to redeem, so it shouldn’t be hard to fit it into your freebie food schedule!

5. AMC Popcorn/Drink + Earl of Sandwich Cookie  – Valued at $22.57

I’m an AMC A-Lister, so with my monthly membership, I get a great birthday gift of free large popcorn and a free large drink, valued at $18.58. However, if you’re just on their free membership plan, the AMC Stubs Insider, you can get a free large popcorn, which is the star of the combo anyway!

If you have an Earl of Sandwich near you, their birthday gift is a choice between a free chocolate chip cookie (look at the size of that thing!) or a free brownie. They didn’t have any more brownies during my visit, but I was still pleased with my cookie, valued at $3.99 before tax.

6. Red Robin Burger – Valued at $16.59 (but you have to spend $4.99 to qualify)

Red Robin was one of the establishments that adjusted its birthday gift, but I still think it’s great. It used to be a free burger with no minimum purchase, but now it’s a free burger with a $4.99 purchase, and you must dine in. I ordered the $4.99 Freckled Lemonade to share with my husband, and I got the Banzai Burger for free, valued at $16.59. I’m a fan! 

And yes, I chose the steamed broccoli as my side because I’m getting older and need all the fiber I can get, but my husband chose the bottomless fries, so it worked out. 

7. Ulta & Sephora Beauty Gifts – Valued at $47.60

I used to spend a lot of money at ULTA for work (easy platinum status but not quite diamond level) and some personal money at Sephora, but in the past 5 years or so, my beauty purchases have been mostly from Target, Amazon, a local K-Beauty store and drugstores in Japan, where I stocked up on skincare from 3 separate vacation trips. 

So yes, it’s a nice treat to visit ULTA and Sephora during my birthday month and get gifts without having to spend anything if I don’t want to. I literally just walk straight to the checkout counter, show my birthday gift coupon code, and walk out without being tempted by the rest of the store because I already have plenty of beauty products and don’t need to spend more. 

I love that I can choose from a small list, so I chose the Grande Cosmetics GrandeLASH-MD lash serum mini, valued at $25! As an Asian with short, straight lashes, I’m hoping this can help nourish my hair at least, and if extra lashes grow, even better. If not, I’ll explore cheaper alternatives, like castor oil for my brows and lashes. 

If you were curious as to what other ULTA birthday gift choices there were for 2025, it’s:

• Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant deluxe sample
• bareMinerals ORIGINAL Mineral Veil Setting Powder deluxe sample
• Stila Stay All Day Liquid Liner travel size in Black (my 2nd choice)
  

At Sephora, their birthday gifts are more curated into sets of duos or triples, which is fun for trying more products at once. I chose the Laneige Hydration Heroes set, which includes: 

• 10mL / 0.33 fl. oz LANEIGE Water Bank Blue Hyaluronic Cream Moisturizer ($11 value)
• 25mL / 0.84 fl .oz LANEIGE Cream Skin Cerapeptide Toner & Moisturizer ($8 value)
• 3 g / 0.10 oz LANEIGE Lip Sleeping Mask in shade Berry ($3.60) 

Total value = $22.60

The other 2025 Sephora birthday gift choices were:

• Summer Fridays jet lag mask & lip butter balm set
• Amika Bye, Bad Hair Days shampoo, conditioner, and hair mask set
• Skinfix Radiant Skin Set peptide cream + collage serum
• Kerastase Luxe Hair Duo hair oil and night serum
• “Juliette Has a Gun” Eau de Parfum duo (warm/spicy & floral scents)

These mini sets’ smaller sizes make them perfect for travel. I also reuse the pots because they’re so convenient to clean and repack with my favorite products!

8. Other Freebies I Missed This Year But Have Redeemed Before

Due to life in general, I missed out on redeeming some other freebies this year, but I wanted to shout them out because they’re still good, and you could sign up for yourself, too. 

• IKEA $10 off $10 purchase (I got some nice bowl and plate sets in previous years!)
• $10 off Victoria’s Secret (I’ve used this before for panties that were on sale)
• Free Crumbl cookie 🍪
• Free McDonald’s item 🍦

Check out our Ultimate Guide to Getting Free Stuff on Your Birthday so you can sign up for the ones you like!

The Money Move

My total freebie value? $140.40! As I said, I wasn’t as proactive this year due to a busy birthday month, so I encourage you to beat my “score!” And if you don’t like to celebrate your birthday in general, just think of this as getting free stuff for being uniquely you without all the fanfare and attention of a party. Because who doesn’t like free stuff?